Conestoga shows full package in rout

TREDYFFRIN - All season long the Conestoga High School girls lacrosse team has been extremely balanced offensively, with a number of different weapons capable of hurting opponents on that end of the field at any given time. When their defense is also playing well --- watch out -- as they can be one very dangerous squad.

On Thursday evening in the second round of the District 1 playoffs, the sixth-seeded Pioneers were firing on all cylinders.

Conestoga had five players with multiple-goal games, and defensively they allowed a total of two goals in the first 30 minutes, en route to crushing No. 11 Mount St. Joseph by a score of 15-6 at Teamer Field.

The Pioneers (16-4 overall) earned its second straight trip to the district quarterfinals in the process. They’ll face fellow Central League foe Springfield (Delco) on Saturday at 9 a.m. at West Chester East. “We are peeking at the right time,” said Conestoga coach Amy Orcutt. “We executed perfectly and we were meshing out there the way you want to be at this point of the year. I couldn’t really ask for anything more than I saw today.”

Senior Meghan McGillis, who will play for Ohio State next year, led the Pioneers with a game-high five goals. McGillis netted three of those in the opening stanza to help Conestoga seize a 9-2 halftime lead to take complete control of the contest.

Senior Catie Smith (Cornell) also had a big game with three goals, two of which came in the first 10 minutes. Senior Mackenzie Orr (Navy), junior Abby Lord (Cincinnati) and senior Megan Cameron all chipped in with two goals apiece as well.

Last year Conestoga made it all the way to the district title game for the first time since they won it all in 2006. They lost in the finals to Radnor. Now once again this spring they are among one of the final eight teams standing in the district with a shot at getting back to the championship game.

It’s an exciting time for a Pioneers squad that features 15 seniors on its roster.

“It’s awesome -- just such a great feeling right now,” said McGillis. “We’ve all worked so hard, and to see it pay off is amazing.

“I was so happy with the way we played today. It was a great all-around team effort. It wasn’t just one or two people playing well, everybody contributed and going forward that’s what we are going to need to have happen if we are going to achieve our goals.”

Defense was the key for Conestoga against the Magic (15-4), who won the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies title this season, and had routed No. 22 C.B. West, 20-10, in the first round of the district tournament.

Mount St. Joseph’s leading scorer, senior Emiliee Ehret, was the focal point of Conestoga’s defensive game plan. They held Ehret scoreless in the contest. The visiting Magic scored two goals midway through the first half to cut the Pioneers’ lead to 3-2. However, Conestoga didn’t allow them to score a single goal again for the next 22 minutes. Three of Mount St. Joseph’s goals came in the final seven minutes of the game as well, once the outcome had long been decided.

“Blake Hamblett and Jessie Beer both marked Ehret and they did a phenomenal job,” said McGillis. “To completely take her out of the game like that was absolutely outstanding on their part, and that was the big key for us in winning this game.”

Sophomore goalie Kara Schwartz also came up big for the Pioneers, making seven saves, five of which came in the opening half.

“Our entire defense played a fabulous game,” said Orcutt. “They were sliding, doubling and their checks were perfect. It was a great effort by us on that end of the field.”

The talk of the area high school lacrosse season this spring has mainly centered around the strength of a loaded Central League. Six of the top-10 seeds in the 32-team tournament hailed from the Central League, and they have backed up the hype so far. All six have reached the district quarterfinals.

Conestoga defeated Springfield (Delco), 13-8, in their Central League meeting back on April 9. It was a weird game. Springfield stormed out to a 7-1 lead at halftime, only to see the Pioneers out-score them by a 12-1 margin in the second half.

They’ll be a lot at stake on Saturday when they square off in the rematch. Not only is a spot in the district semifinals on the line, but the winner will also earn one of District 1’s six berths into the PIAA playoffs.

“We know them well, and they know us well,” said Orcutt. “It should be a heck of a game. At this point in the playoffs everybody is very good, and you can’t afford to have a let down.”